MY THOUGHTS

Hello bookworms, today let’s talk about THE EX, by NICOLA MORIARTY. The ex by Nicola Moriarty is a smart domestic thriller set in Australia with a main character who thinks she’s found a catch. A handsome, funny and caring man. It’s perfect. but then his baggage unloads and dark secrets come tumbling out.

Personally, I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was one of the better thrillers I’ve read in a long time. It was such a page-turner that I was reading nearly 80 pages in a half-hour stretch instead of 40-50! So while I feel like this story didn’t really present anything new, I still felt entertained and refreshed by it.

I really liked our main character Georgia, We see her story unfold as we read through this novel. We learn that her mental health has been on the rocks for years like so many of us and that she once went to councilling (GOOD REP, THANK YOU!) We see that now she is doing better, shes got a job, friends and her family. But as the novel progresses and the stress of everything get’s to her, she starts to spiral downhill again. I found this interesting and relatable to read as recovery is not a straight line, but I liked it even more because Georgia also grew as a person. She did not let h3er anxiety and depression keep her down, and by the end of the novel, you can see that she has grown to be more careful, but also isn’t cutting out everyone in her life.

Speaking of her MI’s , there was good Mental illness rep. We hear about her going to councilling when she was younger which is great as it normalizes the idea of going. We also see a very supportive family who only wants the best for her, and then again, we see her go back to councilling after the ordeal of this novel. It was nice to see the author show that mental illnesses are okay and it’s okay to relapse at times, as long as you ask for help.

The twist was easy to predict, but the aftermath and the way it happened really made it pop. I had predicted who the real culprit was, and had a vague idea of how the end might have played out, and in brief terms, I was right for 99% of my guesses. But there were still smaller, newer points to the plot twist that really made it unique because I hadn’t read about them before. There were enough little bits and pieces coming together throughout the novel that the twist being obvious felt okay because there were still other mysteries to be solved.

I liked the ending, it was ridiculously happy, but it was also realistic. here was something empowering about the way it ends, about how Georgia and co get even, they get justice in the best way. It was one of those YES! moments where you just feel validated and so happy because the villain got what they deserved. And after that, the small bits were tied up nicely, and a cute little ending happened that left the reader knowing that Georgia was going to be okay.

In all honesty, I would recommend his to anyone who is a fan of thrillers or mysteries because it was just damn fun.